Thursday, February 18, 2016

Guest Designer For A Vintage Journey-Stay Curious...

Hello crafty friends! OOPS I'm a little late! Blogger didn't go off! I am so delighted to be invited to be Guest Creative Guide at A Vintage Journey again! It is such an honor to create along side the amazingly talented Creative Guides. Tracey's "Industrial" challenge this month is perfect for me, because I love a good vintage grunge project. I decided to step out of the strict vintage steampunk look, by including some very current stencil work on my piece.

I started by cutting a piece of foam core to size and covering it with plain kraft colored tissue paper. I inked it with Ground Expresso to deepen it a little, and added texture paste through a DecoArt stencil. While the paste was still wet. I added one of my own custom blend embossing powders I've been playing with. I heat dried, allowing it to bubble up just a bit. The finished product reminded me of a motherboard gone Steampunk.

For my next layer, I cut and distressed a piece of corrugated board and painted it with Folkart Metallic Gunmetal Grey. Next, I added some embossing with brown embossing puffs, and another of my embossing powder blends. I was inspired to make this after watching an episode of American Pickers, and Mike was interviewing in front of an old rusted tin roofed barn. Inspiration comes from the strangest sources! Following that, I selected 3 tags and covered them with my 3M metallic repair tape, and punched the holes. I embossed them with Tim Holtz steamy Texture Fades and added some color using the alcohol inks shown. I sanded the tags and added more color: Copper alcohol ink Mixative and Distress paints in Antiqued Bronzeand Black Soot. The paints were applied, dried with a heat gun a little, and wiped off to leave an old industrial look. I added yet more texture by embossing with some of my specially blended powders, which gives these a real greasy look. I may be the oddest female on earth, because I love the smell of old engine oil-- I think it was my upbringing watching my brother restore old cars.

The first tag was embossed with an Artful Muse Texture Fade and I added a Small Talk sticker edged with chalk ink.

The second tag was embossed with the same TF, but I mixed it up a bit. I inked up a Tim Holtz Phrases 2 stamp in chalk ink for the quote and stapled it on with Tim's Tiny Attacher.

The last tag was embossed with the Steampunk Texture Fade and again, I chose some appropriate Small Talk. I attached a length of various chains from my stash to the tags to finish my piece.

I want to thank the girls at A Vintage Journey for inviting me to play along today, and I want to extend a special thank you to Nikki of Addicted to Art for her inspiration! Perhaps you recognize the design--I am privileged to admire Nikki's artwork every day I go into my Closet, because "I Imagine, I Believe, I Create" sits front and center of my workspace. Thank you Nikki, for your lovely gift and for your amazing inspiration!

Wow Sara Emily - I would swear that you used real metal all over this project - Love the mother board look on the edges - the corrugated 'metal' and your wonderful tags - thanks for sharing just how you made this beautiful project! Julia xx

Masterpiece, such a wonderful creation...... I just love all the metallic techniques, the amazing background and the chain linking the tags. The metallic shine on those tags is stunning. One to revisit on many occasions for inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing this at AVJ. If we ever do another art swap this one would sit very happily on my wall! All your projects recently have been stunners! Have a lovely Friday and weekend you crazy engine oil loving gal! Xxxx

OMGoodness Sara, industrial grunge at it's very best! I could just sit and look at your fabulous pictures for ages - I love that motherboard effect (need that stencil now), the rusty effects, all the texture you created - superb!! It is lovely to have you as a Guest CG at A Vintage Journey too! Hugs, Anne xx

Masterpiece of art and grungy at it's best, that's what it is, Sara! At first I thought that you used a real rust metal here! Oh, I am crazy in love with this rusty piece with all your fantastic tags and textures! Each of your three tags is a brilliant piece of art! That DecoArt stencil is on my wish list! Wow, I wish I could create something as spectacular as this! So many awesome techniques and so many things to learn from you! I am always so inspired by your art work! Bravo, my friend, you did a fabulous job! Big congrats on your GDT spot at A Vintage Journey! Lots of love to you! Branka xxx

A big congratulations on your guest designer spot Sara Emily, how lucky are they to have you on board for extra inspiration! This is such an incredible project. I just love how you did the three tag panels, and the rusted, eroded metal effects are quite incredible. Really love the corrugated cardboard, it totally looks like that aluminum stuff they use for construction! The chains are a great addition and I love your sentiment choices. I really need to get me one of those mother board stencils...so cool!! You have put together an amazing industrial piece. LOVE IT!! hugs :)

You have once again made something that is absolutely fabulous. You must love this style because you are so talented in the grungy look. I prefer to call it aging gracefully - or the weathered appearance of timeless art. Old windows and old doors, what one might find in an old barn or an old trunk. The background which you used in your last post, reminds me of Egyptian hieroglyphics. I really like this piece - not only is it extremely attractive but it draws me in where my imagination can rest on different elements. I don't want you to take this as a negative as I love this so much - but right away I named it Of Human Bondage. You know we can be bound by many things -- old shipwrecks, old loves, old books ----sandy xxSandy xx

Oh my gosh, Sara Emily! You totally nailed this! I'm with you on the steam punk. Just can't seem to figure out how to add the rustic, vintage blend to it. But you totally incorporated these elements into your design and I LOVE IT! I am smitten with the tin roof!!! <3 <3 <3 So very fabulous! Congrats on your feature! It was such a great dose of inspiration for this theme (which I am struggling with terribly).

First... congratulations on this guest designer post Sara. In my mind... once you post on A VINTAGE JOURNEY you are among the elite and famous!! Of course, you were already famously fabulous to me! :)

AND secondly... today YOU are definitely the....Greasy Grunge Guru. I mean seriously... so many "recipes" and techniques used here in such ingenious ways.... it's ASTOUNDING. Not to mention the incredibly IMAGINATIVE step by step design for 'INDUSTRIAL' SUCCESS. WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL project. You did AVJ PROUD girl. This is a DELIGHT. XX j.

And of course this is the end result! Well just slap my thigh and call me late for dinner! Now this is AMAZEBALLS on so many levels! Holy smokes and a jalapeño! I want to hang this on my wall and stare at it for days. This is my new Sara fave! Hehehe! That DA stencil is on my must have lost now and I am so intrigued about your three tag design. Everywhere I look I drool (makes me need a drool tag like a Saint Bernard) and oogle! Wowzers and WOWZERS and WWWOWZERS!!!! Loves it! Hugz to you muffin! ~Punkin

Congratulations on your guest DT spot! I love love love this piece. The textures are awesome and the colours are amazing! Thanks for joining us at Southern Ridge Trading Company.-Katelyn DT member at Southern Ridge Trading Company

the first photo remind me of mother boardI adore what you didclever!!and you made a masterpiece with much texturewooow wooow and woooowlovely piecesmany thanks for joining us at ATSM this weekhugsMonika (ATSM DT Member)

This is the mother (Board) of grungy Steampunky goodness! Wow, wow, wow! I love everything...the color palette, the rusty accents, the amazing texture, the sentiments...every detail is absolutely fabulous. This one needs a shadow box frame so it can be displayed. One of my faves!

WOW WOW and WOW! Sara Emily! This is just totally incredible!I soooooo love every steamy punky thing about it and forget that you were representing A Vintage Journey! You go girl- congrats and kudos to you! Oh I so want to look at this up close and feel those textures! Make a video please- hahaa(in your spare time!)Gorgeous! Jackie xoxo

Oh wow Sara Emily you have totally rocked this theme and created the most amazing set of industrial tags and background. My jaw dropped to the floor when I first saw it and I have pinned so I can come back and look at it in more detail.Thank you for sharing your inspirational project with us and for all your support.hugs Brenda xx